Box Score | Season Stats | Infographic

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – A four-run first inning was more than enough to hold off William & Mary during a rain-filled afternoon on Sunday as the Northeastern baseball team cruised to an 8-2 victory against the Tribe. With the win, the Huskies are guaranteed to finish with a winning record during CAA play for the first year since 2009.
 
Northeastern (23-26, 13-8 CAA) registered all 12 of its hits during the first six innings of the game, but five defensive errors by William & Mary (20-27, 10-14 CAA) kept the Huskies on the bases for the majority of the afternoon. Four different NU batters enjoyed multi-hit performances, most notably Keith Kelly, who reached base four times with two singles and two walks.
 
Center fielder Michael Foster scored twice on top of going two-for-five from the plate out of the lead-off spot in the Huskies' batting order. Cam Hanley's lone hit of the afternoon was a two-RBI double ripped to left field during the top of the first, while teammate Pat Madigan went two-for-four with a double, an RBI, and a walk.
 
A day after hitting the game-winning single in the top of the 11th inning, Nolan Lang picked up two more RBIs with a base-hit during Northeastern's first-inning rally that scored Hanley and Josh Treff. Fellow freshman Maxwell Burt blasted his second career home run during the top of the fifth, lifting NU to a commanding 8-0 lead midway through the game.
 
Rain began to fall during the third inning and became more of an issue in the bottom of the sixth as it suspended play for approximately 55 minutes. If not for the rain, junior James Mulry would have had the opportunity to pitch well into the late stages of the game, but his final line ended at 5.0 innings with five hits, one run, two walks, five strikeouts, and his third win of the season (3-6). Isaac Lippert shut down the Tribe upon entering the game after the rain delay and conceded just one run en route to earning his fourth three-inning save of the year.
 
William & Mary's Tim Hoehn and Luca Farina each finished the game with two hits apiece, with Hoehn recording a double and a triple. Starter Mitchell Aker lasted just 1.2 innings after allowing six runs, four earned, on five hits. Northeastern's lineup did pitcher Daniel Powers in for two runs on seven hits, but relievers John Yoest and Bryson Kauhaahaa held the Huskies at eight runs the rest of the way.
 
Foster came back from 0-2 down in the count to earn a lead-off walk that opened the game before Kelly walked as well behind him, putting two runners on base with no outs. Following a wild pitch that moved both runners up a base, Hanley unloaded a two-RBI double to left field that awarded NU an early 2-0 lead. After a single by Treff and another walk issued to Joey Scambia had loaded the bases, Lang powered a two-RBI single to center, sending the Huskies in front, 4-0.
 
Having brought nine batters to the plate in the first, Northeastern had the luck of leading off the second with the top of the order again. Foster singled and was pushed over to second after Fonseca was hit by a pitch before Hanley loaded the bases on an error by the William & Mary first baseman. Madigan's ground ball to third was hit well enough to score Foster from third, and Treff followed suit with an RBI single to third base that extended the Huskies' lead to 6-0.
 
With a six-run lead to work with for the second Sunday in a row, Mulry made quick work of the Tribe's lineup early in the game. The NU starter posted four straight scoreless innings to start the afternoon, striking out three William & Mary hitters during the first two innings.
 
Lang settled for a five-pitch walk to lead-off the top of the third and managed to advance from first to third on a stolen base and a throwing error by the Tribe's catcher. Running on contact, Lang scored easily on an RBI ground out by Burt, putting the Huskies in front, 7-0.
 
Displaying a hot defensive glove throughout the afternoon, Burt showcased his hot bat as well, extending Northeastern's lead to 8-0 in the sixth with a solo homer over the left-field wall. However, the Tribe would bring the deficit back to seven runs at 8-1 during the bottom half of the inning.
 
Following the rain delay, the Huskies' defense did not miss a beat as Foster saved a run from center field by throwing out Ryder Miconi at home, completing an 8-2 double play. Coincidentally, William & Mary would tack on another run by game's end to make the final score, 8-2.
 
Northeastern will travel to UMass Lowell on Tuesday, May 12, for a 7 p.m. non-conference game against the River Hawks. The Huskies will then head back to Friedman Diamond later this week to close out the 2015 regular season with a three-game set against No. 18 College of Charleston.